Soap pouch assembly



\ INVENTOR.

April 9, 1968 M. D. BxLLEsBAcH ET AL SOAP POUCH ASSEMBLY Filed May 8,1967 United States Patent O 3,377,121 SOAP POUCH ASSEMBLY Mary D.Billesbach and Frederick M. Billesbach, both of 7934 Clean Ave., SunValley, Calif. 91352 Filed May 8, 1967, Ser. No. 636,862 8 Claims. (Cl.401-7) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The soap pouch assembly hereindescribed provides a pouch having front and rear walls sewn along their.common side and bottom edges so as to dene an enclosed pocket with anopen entrance leading thereto into the interior thereof. Soap chips,small soap cakes or other detergent material are placed within thepocket interior between the front and rear walls and an intermediate apcoextensive with the rear wall is employed to retain the soap within thepouch. A closure ap, having a portion of its edges sewn in common withthe side edges of the front and rear walls, is coextensive with thefront wall and is adapted to be folded over the pouch entrance includingthe fold of the intermediate flap to close or conceal the pouch interioror pocket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (l) Field of the invention This inventionrelates to soap pouch assemblies and, more particularly, to a novel soappouch assembly having improved closure means for retaining and securingthe opening entrance to the pouch interior to prevent the inadvertentrelease or ejection of soap and which is readilyadapted to be employedas an assembly by the user for washing and bathing purposes. l

(2) Description of the prior art Washcloths provided with soap receivingpockets are well known in the prior art; however, diiiiculty has beenexperienced with such prior washcloths which reside primarily in theprocedure of inserting and holding a bar of soap in the soap pocket andfurther, in the application by the user of the combined washcloth andsoap, to the back and less accessible parts of the body. Fabrication ofsuch soap pouches or washcloth Ysoap assemblies from open mesh ber clothpresents a number of problems which heretofore have not beensatisfactorily solved. It would be desirable, of course, to provide apouch design or assembly which can be constructed as simply andeconomically as possible. However, the assembly must also be convenientto use and this requirement has tended to complicate the fabricationprocedure. For satisfactory performance and use, it must be relativelyeasy to insert cakes or pieces of soap or other detergent material intothe pouch or pocket, while at the same time having the pouch constructedso that the detergent material will not be ejected from the pouch whileit is being used by the user for washing or bathing purposes.

One attempt to provide a satisfactory washcloth having a soap receivingpocket is disclosed in U.S. Letters Patent 3,124,827 wherein a washclothis provided comprising a band of absorbent material and two sets ofhandle-forming draw strings wherein each set of draw strings isoperatively connected to close a respective end of the band. The bandforms a soap receiving pocket for holding and retaining a bar or cake ofsoap and the draw strings provide a pair of handles to be held by bothhands of the user as the band containing the soap is manipulated overthe users body. Although such a device may be useful in reaching remoteportions of the users back, for example, the draw string handles aresuperfluous when it is desired to wash the front portion of the body aswell as under the arms and leg regions. l

Other attempts have been made to provide a satisfactory soap andwashcloth assembly such asthose SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly,the novel soap pouch assembly of the present invention obviates theproblems and diiiiculties encountered with conventional soap pouches byproviding a soap or detergent material receiving pocket defined by afront and rear wall wherein the edge marginal region of the front andrear walls are sewn together except for theirl adjacent uppermost edgeswhich define an open entrance leading to the pocket interior. Anintermediate flap, which is coextensive with the rear wall, is adaptedto be folded through the entrance and into thevpocket between the innersurface of the front wall and the soap or detergent material. In thisfashion, the soap is retained withinthe pocket and inadvertent ejectionof the soap is deterred by the presence of the intermediate ap at theentrance to the pocket.

Closure 'flap means are provided which is coextensive with the frontwall associated with the opening to the pocket and which includes edgemarginal regions on opposite sides which are sewn in common to the sidesof the front and rear walls. The closure means is adapted to be foldedagainst the front wall to open the entrance to the pocket and is adaptedto be folded into a closed condition over the entrance to the pocket toa position against the outer surface of the rear wall. Closure in thisfashion permits a double closure in the form of the intermediate ap andthe closure flap means.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that an open receptacleis defined by the closure flap means .in combination with the rear wallwhich is adapted to receive the ngers of the bathers hand so that theassemblage may now be manipulated over the bathers body without dangerof dropping the soap, the necessity of having to directly grasp the soapand of gaining assurance lof a broad scrubbing surface for achievingthorough washing.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide anovel soap pouch assembly which can be formed from a continuous lengthof cloth material and by merely folding and employingl stitchingoperations, pro- Another .object of the present invention is to providea novel soap pouch assembly having an improved closureY means whichconstitutes a handereceiving pocket whereby the soap pouch assembly maybe readily manipulated over the users body surface to the lessaccessible portions thereof. l

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel soapdispensing bag or pouch which is so constructed as to be readily held inthe hand and having a pocket for receiving the fingers of the hand sothat it will not easily slip out of the grasp of the user and incorporating a second pocket for holding a quantity of pieces of soap ordetergent material.

Still another object of the present invention'is to provide a novel soapbag having a pocket for receiving soap scraps or broken pieces whichwould'otherwse vbe discarded and an intermediate tlap means forsubstantially retaining the soap material in the pocket and furtherincluding a iiap type closure means for securing the opening to the soappocket which also may be employed for providing a pocket into which thehand of-the user may be inserted so that the assembly can be passed overthe surface of the users body during a washing procedure.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel soappouch assembly having a loop handle which is retained in place by meansof a foldable closure fiap so that the handle will not be readilyseparated from the pouch during the insertion or removal of a detergentmaterial from a central pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of the present inventionwhich are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in theappended claims, The present invention, both as to its organization andmanner of operation, together with further .objects and advantagesthereof, may best be understood by reference to the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of the soap pouch assembly of the presentinvention illustrated in a typical application during a washingprocedure as carried on the users hand;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the pouch assembly as shown inFIGURE l as taken in the direction of arrows 2-2 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the pouch assembly showing the enclosureof soap pieces and the closure ap preparatory to the closure of theentrance leading to the soap pocket thereof;

lFIGURE 4 is a transverse cross-sectional View of the pouch assembly astaken in the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view, partially in section of the pouchassembly illustrating the manipulation of the closure flap to effectclosure of the soap pocket entrance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to thedrawings, the novel soap pouch assembly, in accordance with the presentinvention, is illustrated in the general direction of arrow 10,illustrating the assembly in use with the fingers of the users handinserted into the finger pocket formed by a folded over closure ap 11.In one form of the invention, the assembly includes a pouch of closelywoven cloth or fabric material having front and rear walls 12 and 13.The rear wall 13, which is the wall eventually engaged by the fingersand palm of the users hand, has an inwardly turned soap-retainingintermediate fiap 14 which serves as an interference member to preventthe soap from inadvertently ejecting out the pouch once it has beeninserted. Similarly, the front wall ..12 carries the coextensiveoutwardly-turned closure fiap 11 which, as will be explained later, isturned inside out while being pulled over an entrance 15 to the interiorof the pouch 10 after the soap, as indicated by numeral 16, has beeninserted in a soap pocket 17 thereof.

The soap pouch 10 is formed of a close mesh material such as terrycloth,linen or other suitable material having a relatively rough or nubbysurface. Preferably, the threads of the material are uncoated so thatthe material will readily absorb water to wet the soap 16 and to retainthe resultant lather which develops rapidly.

r[he front and rear walls 12 and 13 are secured to one another alonginwardly turned seams, such as seam 17, wherein the seam along theextreme upper and lower portions of the-pouch are in the order oftwothicknesses of material where the side edges of the front and rearwalls meet. However, the mid-portion of the pouch includes a thirdthickness composed of a portion of the opposite edges of fiap 111indicated by numeral 20 where the side edges of the turned over fiap 11are combined with the seam .18. By such construction, the fiap 11provides elongated apertures as indicated by numeral 21 on oppositesides of the pouch immediately adjacent the opposite ends of theentrance leading into the pouch immediately below the fold line of fiap11. Aperturas 21 serve as a means for venting the hand-receiving pocketand also prevents the accumulation of any dirt or foreign matter underthe fold of the flap. Disposed immediately beneath the fold of flap 11at the entrance to the pouch and extending through the apertures 211 oneither side of the pouch, there is provided a cord type handle 22 whichmay be composed of any suitable material, such as twisted cotton, nylonor other material used for making a cord. The opposite ends of thelength of cord 22 may be joined to form a continuous loop by means of aconventional fastening means such as a knot 23, for example. By thisconstruction, it can be seen that the cord 22 is movably secured to theassembly and that the cord cannot be disassembled from the pouch eventhough the fiap 11 is folded adjacent the front wall 12 or adjacent therear wall 13.

In the use of the soap pouch assembly 10 of the present invention,reference will now be made in detail to FIGURES 3-5 inclusive, whereinit may be assumed that the entrance 15 to the soap pocket 17 isinitially open. The soap 16, in the form of a cake or pieces thereof, isinserted through the entrance 15 of the pouch and pushed down into theinterior 17 defined by the inside surfaces of the front and rear walls12 and |13, respectively. A lower edge 23 of the intermediate fiap 14 isthen inserted from its position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 3through the entrance 15 into the interior 17 of the pouch so as to lieagainst the inner surface of the front wall 12 in contact with thecollection of soap 16. A feature of the invention resides in the factthat the intermediate flap is elongated so as to extend the terminatingend 23 sufficiently within the interior 17 and adjacent the bottomthereof so that even small pieces of soap, soap chips or even granulateddetergent material will be captured in the pouch and restricted frominadvertent ejection out through the mouth 15.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, the user now grasps a lower edge 24 of theclosure flap 11 and pulls the flap inside out over the entrance 15 ofthe pouch causing it to assume the position shown in FIGURE 5 overlyingand engaging the outer surface of rear wall |13 of the pouch, The soap16 is now doubly retained or captured in the pouch by the intermediatefiap 14 and closure Hap 11.

The user may, of course, grasp the pouch with the soap inside in anyconvenient manner. FIGURES l and 2, however, show a convenient way ofgrasping the assembly so that it will not slip out of the hand. In sodoing, the user inserts the fingers of his hand into the pocket definedby the outer surface of rear wall 13 and the inner surface of theclosure flap 11 and grasps the opposite wall 12 with his thumb. In thismanner, the lower part of the pouch will line substantially adjacent thepalm of the users hand so that the bulk of the soap contained within thepouch will be in an advantageous position for achieving latheredscrubbing action during a bathing procedure. The device may then be usedto develop a lather and the soap cannot escape from the pouch; evensmall pieces are prevented from being ejected because of the extent towhich the inner flap 14 extends into the interior 17 of the pouch. Atthe same time, water can flow into and out of the pouch freely in orderto dissolve the soap and create a lather. The soap pouch assembly can beused for bath, dishes, laundry, cleaning or wherever soap is used.

In addition, it is envisioned by the present invention that the -cord 22may be deleted from the assembly and that the outer surface of the foldvfor closure flap 11 as shown in FIGURE 1 may be modified to incorporatea loop which is sewn thereto that may be used to operate as a suspensionloop for hanging the pouch assembly from a convenient plumbing fixture.Similarly, -it is envisioned that such a loop may be sewn in combinationwith the stitched seam 20, if desired. Furthermore, the presentinvention contemplates the provision that the closure flap 11 may beformed with an extended portion terminating beyond the stitching so .asto substantially cover the back of the users hand. Construction in thisfashion allows the assembly to'constitute a washing glove having thenubby material of the cloth serving as a scrubbing surface substantiallyIdisposed about all portions of the hand extending from the wrist to thefingertips.

If desired, the pouch assembly may be decorated with fringe, a varietyof eye appealing designs or other forms of imaginative stitching.

Therefore, it can be seen that the novel soap pouch assembly of thepresent invention provides a convenient washing accessory which obviatesthe problems and difficulties of the conventional soap pouches andcontainers. The soap is captured at all times and all components of theassembly captured so that the flap may be readily manipulated by theuser without the employment of connectors, fasteners or other detachablesecurement of the components.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in it's broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in theappended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications Vas fallwithin the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A soap pouch assembly comprising:

a pouch formed from porous, closely meshed cloth material having a nubbytextured surface including front and rear walls secured together inparallel relationship and closed along their bottom and side edges todefine an open entrance for said pouch between the upper edges of saidwalls;

an intermediate flap coextensive with said rear wall forming a rst foldso as to be adapted to extend downwardly from the upper transverse edgethereof into the interior of said pouch along the inner side of saidfront wall wherein the free end of said intermediate flap terminatessubstantially adjacent the bottom edge of said pouch to provide an innersoap retaining pocket; and

an exterior closure flap formed coextensively with said front wallextending from the upper edge thereof in a permanent second folddownwardly part way along the outer side of said front wall, a portionof the opposite side edges of said closure ap being secured to andclosed along the side edges respectively of said front and rear Wallsand cooperating with said rear wall to form a nger receiving pocket, thelower edge of said closure flap being separated from said rear wall toform a downwardly open mouth leading into said linger receiving pocket,whereby said closure flap is foldable inside out over said entrance tosaid pouch to close said pouch entran by moving said lower edge ofsaidclosure Hap upwardly over said first and second folds defining saidpouch entrance and then downwardly along the outer surface of said rearwall.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said opposite side edgesof said closure flap are secured in common with said edges of said frontand rear walls only along the midsection of said pouch so as to leave apair of substantial openings formed at the opposite ends of said pouchentrance, each of said openings extending laterally downwardly to exposean upper exterior portion of said front and rear walls.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 including an endless looped cordcarried by said pouch.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 including an endless looped cordcarried by said pouch, said cord extending immediately beneath andadjacent to said second fold :across said pouch entrance and beingarranged to movably pass through said pair of openings.

5. The invention as defined in claim `4 wherein said cord is captured bysaid second fold of said closure flap so as to avoid disassembly fromsaid pouch.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 including an extended portionintegrally formed with said closure flap lower edge freely projectingpast the bottom of said pouch adjacent said rear wall and being adaptedto substantially cover the back of the users hand and wrist.

7. The invention as defined in claim `6 wherein each of said openingsare formed by an .arcuate cut on opposite sides of said closure apextending from the outermost edge of said second fol-d to a locationmidway between the opposite ends of said pouch.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein the length of said secondfold formed by said closure ap is substantially shorter than the lengthof said lower edge thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,046,230 12/ 1912 Springhorn15--509 2,569,067 9/ 1951 Liushin 15-509 XR 2,636,531 4/1953 Kelly 150-73,081,480 3/1963 Green 15-509 FOREIGN PATENTS 558,567 7/1957 Belgium.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTHfPrz'mary Examiner.

ROBERT I. SMITH, Examiner.

